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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - From 1984 to 2003, the Middle Atlantic Conference title seemed to be destined for either Widener University or Lycoming College, with the teams getting a share of the title in all but two of those seasons, with Widener laying claim to eight titles and Lycoming winning 10.  Today could be a return to that era, as both teams enter the game with 2-0 records in the MAC, as Lycoming hosts the Pride as part of Homecoming at David Person Field.

The Warriors (4-1 overall, 2-0 MAC) are coming off their most dominating performance of the season, a 50-0 win at Albright. The defense pitched its first shutout since 2005 and the offense posted 50 points for the first time since 2002. The Pride (3-2 overall, 2-0 MAC) enter the game having racked up 71 points in wins over FDU-Florham and King’s.

Warrior Notes
• The two teams have combined for 29 MAC titles, with Lycoming winning 14 and Widener winning a MAC-record 15.
• The Warriors are tied for the top scoring offense in the MAC, averaging 32.8 points per game.
• Senior Josh Kleinfelter leads the MAC in rushing and is third nationally, averaging 171.2 yards per game.
• Kleinfelter became the fourth player in school history to reach 25 career rushing touchdowns at Albright. He is four from the school record of 29.
• Kleinfelter needs 191 all-purpose yards to pass Brian Thompson (1995-98, 4,281 yards) for the school record.
• Senior #T.J. Chiarolanza# leads MAC kickers in scoring, averaging 7.2 points per game.
• The Warriors are looking to improve to 3-0 in the MAC for the first time since their championship year of 2003.
• The shutout of Albright was the 67th shutout in defensive coordinator #Steve Wiser’s# 37 years with the program.

Scouting Lycoming
Offense: Multiple/Pro-Style
In the last four games, the Warrior offense has averaged just a touch under 40 points per game, behind an offensive line that helps the team average 393.4 yards of total offense per game.

Senior Josh Kleinfelter has led the way, rolling up 856 yards, which is already 10th in school history, through the first five games. He has also scored seven touchdowns, which is second in the league.

In the air game, sophomore #Zach Klinger# has steadily improved and stayed poised throughout the season, as he is currently fourth in the league with an average of 163.2 yards per game. His favorite target is senior Ryan Wagaman, who has 19 catches this year and an average of 66.4 yards per game, which is third in the league.

Defense: 4-3
The Warriors’ defense is coming off their best defensive performance in years, holding an Albright team that averaged more than 400 yards of offense per game, to just 153 yards and no points on Oct. 9. The Warriors are second in the MAC, allowing an average of 16.4 points per game. The squad is also adept at forcing turnovers, as the team has forced 15 this season.

Early in the season, the secondary has led the Warriors, with senior safety #Chuck Bellitto# leading the team with 34 tackles, which is 12th in the MAC. Junior #Ray Bierbach#, the other safety, is fifth on the team with 25 tackles, but he leads the MAC in both passes defended (10) and interceptions (4).

The linebacking crew has gotten more active with the start of the MAC season, as junior Chris Kish has made 13 tackles in the last two games and sophomore Jamie Reitzi has also made 13 stops.

Scouting Widener
Offense: Multiple
With 71 points in their first two MAC wins to start the season, the Pride  offense has moved into sixth in the league in scoring at 19.8 points per game after averaging just 9.3 points per game through the first three games.

Sophomore Chris Haupt threw four touchdown passes, including three to junior Cedrick Clayton in Widener’s 36-21 victory at King’s on Oct. 9.

Haupt is currently fifth in the league at 128.3 passing yards per game and Clayton is third in the league in receptions per game, averaging 5.0 catches per game. Clayton is also second in the MAC in receiving touchdowns.

Defense: 4-3
Through the first half of the season, Widener has shown one of the best defenses in the MAC, as they are third in the league in scoring defense at 21.8 points per game and third in total defense at 292.0 yards allowed per game.

The team’s rushing defense is solid as well, allowing 74.4 yards on the ground per game, which is second in the league while the team’s 14 sacks also sit second in the league.

Seniors Jon Natter and Joe Wojceichowski lead the team with 29 tackles and senior Shane Szumski leads the MAC with six sacks and four forced fumbles. Junior Greg Walsh is tied for 10th in the MAC in sacks with two. The Pride are also solid in tackles behind the line of scrimmage, as Wojceichowski is fourth in the MAC at 8.0 tackles for loss and Szumski is right behind at 7.5. In the secondary, freshman Laquan Robinson is tied for second in the MAC with eight passes defended.

Notes
Up The Chart
Thanks to his average of 171.2 yards per game, senior Josh Kleinfelter took only half the season to break the school’s rushing record, passing Brian Thompson (1995-98) and his mark of 3,267 in the second half of the win over Albright. With 3,309 career rushing yards, Kleinfelter is also nearing other school records, as his 25 rushing touchdowns are fourth in school history, just four from the record and he sits 190 all-purpose yards behind Thompson’s record of 4,281 yards. 

Czapped
Freshman Zach Czap earned his first career MAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors thanks to his four-punt performance, including a 58-yarder, in the Lycoming College football team’s 50-0 win over Albright. Czap posted a 38.2 average on his punts, including notching one punt that was downed by the Warriors at the one-yard line that directly led to a safety. With a solid 10-man front coming at him to block another punt, he booted it a solid 58 yards, the second-longest punt in the MAC this season to his own 59-yarder.

Czap is the second MAC Special Teams Player of the Week of the season, joining senior kicker #T.J. Chiarolanza#, who earned the award for his game-winning field goal against Ithaca on Sept. 25. The Warriors have won five MAC Player of the Week mentions this season, with senior #Chuck Bellitto# and junior #Anthony Marascio# earning defensive nods and senior #Josh Kleinfelter# earning an offensive nod.

Shining Ray
Junior Ray Bierbach currently leads the Middle Atlantic Conference in passes defended with 10 and in interceptions with four. The safety from Hunlock Creek is in his first year as a starter in the secondary for Lycoming after serving as a backup the last two seasons. Bierbach also serves in many other roles for the Warriors, including punt returner, where he led the MAC in the category in 2009, and he is also the team’s holder.

Kleinfelter makes Team of the Week again
For the second time this season, senior running back #Josh Kleinfelter# earned mention on the D3Football.com Team of the Week, as he ran for 216 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Lycoming College football team to a 31-24 win over King’s (Pa.) on Oct. 2. Against King’s, Kleinfelter crossed 200 yards of all-purpose yardage for the third straight game, posting a season-high 216 yards on 29 carries. He scored twice as well to lead the Warriors.